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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Anyone work at Heathrow? I have a question about arrivals...

48 replies

CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 14:10

Posting here for traffic as a bit stressed!

So, my family and I have been abroad for past year, not entirely due to our choosing, but are coming home in a couple of weeks.

We are of course adhering to testing and quarantine rules. This is not a holiday return, and not a thread for bashing travellers.

Anyway, we are quite worried about the potential 7 hour queues at Heathrow arrivals. This was reported by the BBC a week ago, at the same day and time we will be landing.

With such queues, we are concerned about Covid - being in such close proximity to others from multiple flights for so long -and with a 1 and 3 year old, it will be just awful. The idea of landing at 5pm and queuing with them until 1am is not great.

So, is it still like this, can anyone tell me? I only ask as Gatwick appears to be better (though who knows, perhaps it just isn't reported). However, if the crazy Heathrow queues are continuing, we may well try to change our flights.

A long shot but any info would be gratefully received!

OP posts:
mummywantstobeslim · 09/03/2021 14:22

I have always found Heathrow to be easier and quicker to get through than Gatwick.

mummywantstobeslim · 09/03/2021 14:23

@mummywantstobeslim

I have always found Heathrow to be easier and quicker to get through than Gatwick.
Pre covid of course, no idea how they compare now.
activitythree · 09/03/2021 14:28

T2 or T5?

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 14:55

T5

OP posts:
FoonySpucker · 09/03/2021 15:09

Pre covid of course, no idea how they compare now.

Not a lot of use to the OP then who is asking a specific question about delays due to Covid rules.

minniemoocher · 09/03/2021 15:20

Are you British citizens? There's two queues and I read the longer waits were those having to prove right to enter the country eg those working in the U.K. but citizens of a three countries

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 15:55

Interesting point... we all are except for husband who is an EU citizen

OP posts:
ShyTown · 09/03/2021 16:28

I came back through T5 late last year and they were pulling out families with young kids from the line so we didn’t have to queue for very long at all.

AmandaHoldensLips · 09/03/2021 16:34

UK Border Force is always a shit show.

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 16:55

Ha, true! That's good to know, @ShyTown, as so recent - hopefully still doing this now

OP posts:
ssd · 09/03/2021 16:58

Could you email them to ask @CautiousOptimist11?

Not unreasonable with such young kids to be concerned.

Blyatiful · 09/03/2021 17:04

It was still awful a week ago. A friend flew back and it took her six hours to get through. The queue was mad and there was no social distancing. Flights from all destinations were in together, so you could be standing next to someone from a Covid hotspot. There were two immigration officers on duty, and they were scrutinising everyone’s documents. The automatic gates were closed.

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 17:12

Uh oh...

OP posts:
poppycat10 · 09/03/2021 17:15

Why is it so bad? And if they're shortstaffed why are the gates not open to ease things? I have been lucky that I get through LHR in minutes (outside covid times, not flown since January 2000) but I hear such horror stories.

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 17:21

A combination of things I believe... mainly short staffing and very small staffing bubbles, plus passengers having paperwork scrutinised that most of them havent filled in properly (like the fact you have to pay for covid tests in isolation before arrival at border control)

OP posts:
Munkustrap · 09/03/2021 17:22

I had to travel through T5 a few weeks ago. We went mid week on a flight landing at 9am to try and get the shortest queues. It was about two hours for us in the UK, EU and US lane then.

It was a bit of a shambles. People were good about wearing masks (except the border force staff!). There was no social distancing at all though.

peak2021 · 09/03/2021 17:36

If it is anywhere near Easter, a school holiday time, then I think you ought to be prepared for long queues. The Border Force at Heathrow don't seem to be able to plan for such times, even though the date of Easter was fixed in 1752 when the Uk adopted the Gregorian calendar. It seems that 269 years notice is not enough for some people to plan adequately.

AliceSprings123 · 09/03/2021 17:58

@peak2021

If it is anywhere near Easter, a school holiday time, then I think you ought to be prepared for long queues. The Border Force at Heathrow don't seem to be able to plan for such times, even though the date of Easter was fixed in 1752 when the Uk adopted the Gregorian calendar. It seems that 269 years notice is not enough for some people to plan adequately.
Well, quite!GrinGrinGrin
Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 17:59

@Munkustrap, that's really interesting to hear and unfortunately confirms my fears. We booked at peak time, then realised the problem hours later....

OP posts:
Munkustrap · 09/03/2021 18:17

If you are booked with BA, all their tickets are suppose to be fully flexible at the moment so changing hopefully won't be too awful if it comes to it.

notimagain · 09/03/2021 18:47

@poppycat10
Why is it so bad? And if they're shortstaffed why are the gates not open to ease things?

If by "the gates" you mean the "e-gates" then the answer is they are shut because they can't read things like passenger locator forms (PLFs) so all documents need to be seen/examined by an actual human being at the moment...

Problem is over the last few years when the e-gates were introduced manning was cut...as I understand it now that the e-gates are shutdown they haven't got manning back up to previous levels...chuck in a bit of a shortage due to e.g. illness and a spike in demand and........

Nothinglikeachocolatebrownie · 09/03/2021 19:30

I would suggest buying N95 masks that seal completely and wearing those with a face shield. You will be very unlikely to get covid if you do that and sanitise your hands regularly.

Kazzyhoward · 09/03/2021 19:36

Other than those isolating re covid, how can they be short staffed when there are so few flights operating?

Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 09/03/2021 21:04

Thanks for all advice.

If you look at Heatheiw arrivals, you will see loads of planes arriving, loads. 5 for every 10 minute slot at some times of day. Not sure who all these people are.....!

OP posts:
Original poster
CautiousOptimist11 · 10/03/2021 06:18

One hopeful bump on case someone who has travelled comes by this morning!

OP posts:
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